


A Swimmer is Always Fine

by kitsunicorn



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: M/M, cecilos - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-24
Updated: 2015-12-16
Packaged: 2018-04-27 20:24:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5062837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitsunicorn/pseuds/kitsunicorn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cecil is an openly gay member of his high school's swim team. However, being openly gay comes with its own set of problems. He wants to move and get a fresh start, but he wants to have a little fun first. </p><p>Carlos is studying to be a scientist, and has a summer job as a lifeguard. He hasn't come out to anyone yet, but a strange man may pull him out of the closet. </p><p>This is just a super fluffy high school/college au. I try to update once a week. Enjoy!</p><p>Based on this prompt: http://kitsunicorn.tumblr.com/post/137728513253/welcometonightblogging-cecil-seems-an-awful-lot</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Salty air blew in from the window, rolling over Cecil's hair. With the window rolled down, the radio turned up, on his way to the beach, nothing could be better. While all of his classmates were probably hung over or still high from last night's many graduation parties, here was the loner taking advantage of the first day of summer to go swimming.

Cecil cruised into the parking lot across the street from the beach and found a spot. After a moment's hesitation, he grabbed the plastic sand toys from the trunk and tucked them under his arm with his towel. It's not like anyone he knew would see him today anyway. Right?

As he marched across the street to the beach, Cecil took notice of his tall shadow, abnormally elongated in the late morning sun. He took hold of one end of his towel, unfurled it, and plopped himself down in the sand.

The boy took inventory of the people around him. There was a family about 100 yards to his left, and a group of junior boys the same distance to his right. Down on the shore in front of him, there was a group of teenage girls giggling and splashing in the waves. It seemed that nobody would be a problem today. Cecil had just began to scoop sand into a bucket when a voice snarled behind him.

"Having fun, faggot?"

Cecil froze, not daring to turn and acknowledge the horrible voice that was associated with a just-as-awful face behind him.

"I'm talking to you, rainbows." This time there was a chorus of giggles following the vulgar remark.

He squeezed his eyes shut.  _Maybe if I ignore him, he'll leave me alone._

When he opened his eyes, sand flew into them, causing the gaggle of bullies to laugh.  _Not so lucky_.

"Go pick on someone your own size, Steve," Cecil muttered, mostly to himself.

"Oooh. So he speaks."

"Just leave me alone, ok? There's this endless expanse of beach, and there's no reason for us to share this mile." Cecil reasoned.

Steve Carlsberg scoffed. "As if I'd want to sit near you. You'd probably try to kiss me or something." Another round of laughter from his followers. He began to walk away. "Also, Palmer, be more subtle next time. Those swim trunks scream gay."

Cecil waited a good while after the gang left to rub the sand from his eyes. He glanced at his trunks. Pink hibiscus flowers on a yellow background didn't seem  _that_  bad.

...o0o...

To escape the risk of further torment, Cecil stood, brushed himself off, and walked quickly towards the shore. At least the girls had moved further north along the beach. The less human contact, the better.

On his way down to the water, he approached from behind a lifeguard sitting in a plastic chair he hadn't seen in his initial assessment. He was breathtaking. Sun-bronzed shin. Wide set shoulders. But best of all, his hair.  Long, luscious curls cascading down his scalp, barely brushing his shoulders. Cecil was so in awe he tripped over a mound of sand and landed face first in the turf next to the lifeguard.

"Woah, there. You alright?" A beautiful voice wafted over him like a wonderful smell. Cecil quickly decided the smell would be French toast before two firm hands gripped his shoulders and flipped him face up. A blindingly handsome face grinned down on him with a smile brighter than the sun framing his head from behind.

"Am I dead?" Cecil blabbered stupidly. Of corse he wasn't dead. He'd only fallen in the sand.

The lifeguard released a warm chuckle and extended his hand. "No silly. I have a feeling you wouldn't quit that easy."

Cecil accepted the hand and hoisted himself up. "Well, it can't hurt to dream, can it?" He muttered.

The lifeguard's face hardened. "Don't ever say that, hear me? Don't think like that. You're life is too precious, no matter what you're going through."

"Yeesh. I don't think you can decide if my troubles are too much to handle." He glanced around. "I was just kidding anyway," he added halfheartedly.

The other man's expression didn't soften. "My name is Carlos, by the way."

"Cecil."

"Just so you know, Cecil, if you're planning on swimming, there's a really strong riptide today. You best be careful."

Cecil snorted. "I'm a swimmer. A swimmer is always fine." And with that, he turned on his heel and marched off toward the surf.


	2. Chapter 2

 

It wasn't like he was ever going to see the lifeguard again. They didn't know each other. Cecil was going to move to Minnesota as soon as he could afford it anyway. Carlos was probably as straight as a ruler. Yolo, right?

Cecil waded out quite a ways from the shore and waited. He splashed around for a few minutes, trying to rack up the courage for what he was about to do.  _It's stupid_ , part of his brain told him.  _But it'll be fun. And there's no repercussions because I'll never see him again_ , the rest said. 

Cecil took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing," he whispered to himself. 

"Help!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "I'm drowning!" the swimmer put on a (probably not) convincing show of thrashing around in the water as if he couldn't stay afloat. He even made some choking noises and gasps for good measure. 

Cecil grinned as he saw the handsome lifeguard stand and peer through his binoculars at him. He continued his theatrical performance of fake-drowning abs the other man sprinted to the water. 

But then- he slipped. Cecil's foot caught on a rock, and he took a sharp intake of breath as he hit the water, his lungs beginning to fill with the ocean. Now he was actually choking. The blonde coughed and spluttered as his vision darkened, and the world tilted sideways. Suddenly he was over the water, his head perpendicular to the surface. Somehow, he was floating toward the shore. He saw the empty lifeguard chair, and dimly recalled calling the man over in a lame attempt to get a kiss before leaving California for good. Gods, he was stupid. 

Then Cecil was flat on the sand, people gathering around him as the lifeguard began to press water from his chest. The other man rolled his eyes and leaned closer before Cecil blacked out completely. 


	3. Chapter 3

Evenly spaced beeps from a nearby machine was the first thing Cecil was aware of when he came to his senses. The next was the relatively thin and uncomfortable mattress he was lying on, and then the three-inch needle in his arm.

The small amount of common sense he seemed to retain told Cecil that this wasn’t good. With a groan, the teen began to stretch a bit, but only to the extent that the IV would let him.

“Thank God you’re awake,” a familiar-ish voice from the corner of the room sighed. Cecil froze, and ever so slowly opened an eye to peek at the other man. “I seriously thought you were in trouble for a bit there.”

 _Oh shit_ , Cecil thought. _It’s that lifeguard from the beach_. The blonde cringed, wondering why even for a moment he thought pretending to drown was a good idea.

After a few moments of awkward silence, the blonde took it upon himself to break the uncomfortably thick ice.

“I, uh… Why aren’t you at the beach?”

Carlos blinked, pulling his focus from an obscure crack in a wall. “Called in, I had someone cover for me… I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Dumbfounded, Cecil pressed the topic further. “Why? You hardly know me!”

“I was worried… I thought you might have been serious.”

It took Cecil a moment to process what he meant by this. But then-

“You mean what I said. About wanting to be dead?”

Carlos seemed to have a difficult time making eye contact at that point, shifting his gaze to the garbage bin, the IV stand, the corner of the ceiling.

“Just so you know, I wouldn’t… do it myself. I don’t want it that bad.” Then with a slightly sarcastic undertone he added, “If that offers you any reassurance. 

At that, the lifeguard turned his eyes to the other man with an almost terrifyingly hard gaze. Then he looked around the small hospital room, locating a small notepad on the gurneyside table. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a pen and began to scribble 10 digits onto it. 

“You do understand that you are important, right? You aren’t meaningless, despite what you may think. Text me whenever you need to, I just don’t want you to feel alone.” he said, placing the pad back down on the table. “I want you to call me if you keep having thoughts like this. You aren’t a waste of space. Got it?”

Then, the door was opened and shut, and Cecil was alone in the room.


End file.
